on the visual end, you could do with trying out the completely flat textures mod, i dont use it so i dont remember where to find it but i think if you search the forums for "flat textures" you'll probably find the thread that shows you how.
just using a generally lower fidelity graphics config removes all of the useless clutter that the game has in general like tons of smoke from explosions and all that other shit

as far as audio, comms in comp tf2 are always going to generally be hectic, moreso at a lower skill level. however since TF2 isn't really an audio dependent game, try playing with your in-game volume at a much lower volume than you're used to so that way you can focus your ears almost entirely on your teammates. you may be vulnerable to people playing spy or shit like that but overall you don't get kills in TF2 by hearing footsteps or anything like that

there's a lot of ways to reduce visual clutter from tf2 eg. nohats, flat textures mods, cleaner huds. you can also get rid of soundscapes (ambient map noises) and footsteps. as for comms I'm sure someone else can give more specific advice but giving (and receiving) clear, short calls is a good minimum.

the larger problem of "processing what's happening" can be a lot of things - are you losing track of the game state? things like, who has uber ad, where are we playing, where are they holding, etc? these you will learn over time and you'll need less mental bandwidth to keep track of those things

edit: links

flat textures, nohats, sounds etc - https://www.teamfortress.tv/51736/cleantf2-nohats-flat-textures-etc
mastercomfig: lower graphics/particles etc - https://mastercomfig.com/app/

so, i have both flat textures on and in-game volume usually either very low or completely off for this reason. voice comms are, outside of the general pressure and increased tempo of the game, my biggest issue. everything i have done in that field seems to either work (but create other issues, like not being able to hear important things) or not be enough to be able to play tf2 in a consistent manner.

i think the overall pressure of organized play; the insistence of not wanting to fuck up, that people need you to perform, etc, is just a big of an issue to me, which is why i quit for a long time, but i doubt theres anything i can do about that other than to depersonalize and get high before playing.

these are things i can easily do and execute when i'm in a flow state, but that never lasts more than about 30 minutes at a time. then i run out of mental bandwidth pretty quickly after playing any more than that to the point where, at the end, im unable to speak at all.

competitive video games, for me, are my genre of choice because of the things that seem to negatively affect you. the pressure to perform, the dependency on each other as a team (for better or for worse), are the adrenaline fuel that makes the game fun. i think if those seem like detractors rather than enticing elements, you should try to just do everything you can to remove the anxiety of failure.

this game's so dead it's talking to my grandma 6 feet below. there's no one riding on your performance or else they wont get their esports career, theres no brand deals or twitch.tv audience to try and secure. its the most low reward game you could probably play right now, and thus you gotta remind yourself that the price of failure is absolutely nothing

ironically enough i think you were one of the people that got me *hooked* into this abt a decade ago, lol.

im not really looking to get anything substantial out of tf2 other than a sense of closure/accomplishment out of it to justify to myself why i spent so much time in it. the game is something i do legitimately enjoy, even if those same dopamine/adrenal rushes that you laud do the exact opposite to me.

incoming shill post

based off of your posts here, i think you and your friends should try out 4v4 PASS Time
it's a competitive gamemode that highlights skill-based movement and team coordination, but isn't as intense as 6s/HL. the environment is more relaxed and comms are less frequent since maps are extremely small and the gamemode has a built in "wallhack" at the bottom showing you where players generally are. there's pressure, but it's a lot more manageable compared to other competitive environments i've been in
personally, as a medic main, i struggled with enjoying 6s pugs due to playing at a lower level (Intermediate) as well as just being in the Medic role, which i enjoyed the most at the time. 4v4 PASS Time allowed me to express my skill in a more relaxed (but still competitive) environment in a different way

https://youtu.be/t01sfcj1qPw?t=11

i'd say for you it's at least worth a shot. we play pugs nearly every night in the discord, or if you have 7 friends who are down to try it out, just go on serveme and use the config "pt_pug" and play on maps like "pass_arena2", "pass_stadium", "pass_stonework", or "pass_smallosseum"

no hate to any 6s/HL modes, they're both awesome and a lot of fun

we all have sucky performances on our path to being a good consistent player, and even when we achieve that we can have bad nights or bad games here and there, the important thing is to not judge yourself too harshly and think of what you can improve on from your ingame mistakes

what im referring to is quite different from having a bad performance or an off day. when im overwhelmed by tf2, i physically struggle to hold my arm straight and keep the mouse in my hand; my body twitching involuntarily. i cannot speak at all and my brain completely shuts down, usually i have some amnesia associated with this when i come out of it.

Are you absolutely sure what you're experiencing is overstimulation and that you aren't experiencing mild seizures from the game? The twitching and amnesia are not symptoms I am aware of for overstimulation and I work with some clients who deal with overstimulation issues, I've never seen this nor heard of these as signs to look out for. These, however, could be signs of seizures. I am not a doctor, do take my words with many grains of salt. It might be worth seeing a doctor about.

In terms of reducing issues with overstimulation, the suggestions above of making the visual stimulus overall simpler and easier to process is something easy you can do with the config. I'd also make sure your sound settings for the game, voice, music, etc., aren't too loud. I'd also recommend limiting these things if plausible. Other considerations are limiting blue light from the monitor as this causes a lot of strain on your eyes, there are programs and eyewear you can get for this.
TL:DR Limit sources of stimulation, change the stimulus in the game to be simpler, and reduce blue light from the computer.

did you get any good advice when you made the exact same thread 3 years ago

Go to a neurologist instead maybe

If you’re having this many difficulties you should probably just do something that’s more natural to you, there’s plenty of other things to do with friends that aren’t as fast-paced and demanding as competitive tf2 lol

I don’t get any of the things you describe but playing the game especially at a high level late before bed makes it difficult for me to sleep, lately I’ve had a lot more enjoyment casually playing pubs or other (non-fps) games with friends at earlier hours in the evening. On the topic of overstimulation it’s often hard to realize when you are actually overstimulated, I was having a lot of stress from work but it turned out that cutting tf2 out made it improve dramatically

this is maybe a stupid response but (assuming you are relatively new to competitive tf2) it could just be something you learn to deal with over time. perhaps you are thinking so much about basic things (movement/aim/basic positioning) that it leaves less mental bandwidth for higher level thoughts like communication - this is just something that will get easier over time as you internalise the basics. i think this is a classic concept in fighting games for example - the beginner who is actively thinking about combos has much less brain space for higher level thinking than the experienced player for whom combos are muscle memory and take up no thought.

Tempted to post just get good.

But, after reading that you're having some physical complications after a session. Like everyone is saying. You should see a Doctor and make sure your health is straight. If your health is all good, I'll answer your last question for you.

i dont really care about getting good, i care about playing with my friends. playing competitive tf2 feels like something you have to do to have a sense of belonging playing tf2 in general.

should really think about this post specifically, maybe try and convince your friends to play other stuff or branch out and make new friends.

L-Theanine, 200mg, really helps take the edge off. Totally natural, just an amino acid found in green tea that you can take in supplement form.

Why do you need to play competitive? Most people who have a sense of belonging usually play on the same community servers with the same people. Competitive is a pretty niche subset of communities in this game.

As an example, plenty of furries and weebs stack uncletopia together and they have 0 competitive games.

Don't use mastercomfig please. Recommend comanglia toaster or make your own via .txt commands.

Reasoning?

what do u want us 2 tell u lol

Dawg just take adderall